Scribd
Upload
114 views

New Science: Systems Thinking, Chaos & Complexity

1. The document discusses new scientific theories like systems thinking, chaos theory, and complexity that contradict Newtonian views of the universe. 2. General systems theory sees systems as interconnected sets of units that exchange matter and information with their environments. All living things like organisms and organizations are open systems that maintain themselves through continuous inflows and outflows. 3. Chaos theory emphasizes that small changes can have large, unpredictable effects in complex systems. The butterfly effect shows how simple systems can lead to complex behaviors.

Uploaded by

Adriana David
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
114 views

New Science: Systems Thinking, Chaos & Complexity

1. The document discusses new scientific theories like systems thinking, chaos theory, and complexity that contradict Newtonian views of the universe. 2. General systems theory sees systems as interconnected sets of units that exchange matter and information with their environments. All living things like organisms and organizations are open systems that maintain themselves through continuous inflows and outflows. 3. Chaos theory emphasizes that small changes can have large, unpredictable effects in complex systems. The butterfly effect shows how simple systems can lead to complex behaviors.

Uploaded by

Adriana David
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 34

New Science: Systems Thinking, Chaos & Complexity

The Newtonian Universe


"Each of us lives and works / has dealings with
organisations designed from Newtonian images of the universe. But the science has changed. We need to ground our work in the science of our times. We need to stop seeking after the universe of the Seventeenth Century and begin to explore what became known to us in the Twentieth Century. Wheatley Newton says that all the bodies of the universe are analogous to "tinker toy" creations suspended in an otherwise empty universe. The new science, the science of the quantum, says otherwise.

The Newtonian Universe 2


Newtonian laws of physics are completely
deterministic: they assume that, at least theoretically, precise measurements are possible, and that more precise measurement of any condition will yield more precise predictions about past or future conditions.
Reductionism

General Systems Theory 1


Ludwig Von Bertalanffys
definition of a system: 'a set of units with relationships among them.' set" implies that the units or elements contain similar characteristics and that each unit or element is controlled, influenced, or dependent upon the state of other units.

Open systems exchange


matter or information with the environment. Closed systems have clear boundaries prohibiting exchange of energy or information - isolated from their environment. The essential nature of matter lies not in objects, but in interconnections

General Systems Theory 2


A system is a set of units that connect to
form a whole The whole system functions because of interdependence of its parts Systems have input, output, control, and feedback processes Living systems are more complex than mechanical systems

General Systems Theory 3


Every living organism is essentially an open
system. It maintains itself in a continuous inflow and outflow, a building up and breaking down of components This is the very essence of that fundamental phenomenon of life, which is called metabolism, the chemical processes within living cells.

General Systems Theory 4


It is useful then, to A system comprises
think of people, interrelated corporations, components related by organisations, groups, flows of energy, families, interpersonal material, or relationships and information. computer-based information systems as Cooling system, all being open, living Information System, systems. Immune System etc..

General Systems Theory 5


Heirarchies (systems
within systems) Boundaries (define system by drawing boundaries) Dynamic (Change over time and internal relationships change as well) Synergistic (the whole > sum of parts)

Feedback & Control


(homeostasis) Autopoesis (self regulating) Equifinality (same goal achieved via different paths) Entropy (measure of disorder)

Life
Life: a property of improbable complexity possessed by an entity that works to keep itself out of equilibrium with its environment. R. Dawkins (1986)

Characteristics of Life 1
All Living things are organized work together to
create increasingly higher levels of complexity metabolize maintain internal environment

grow respond reproduce evolve

Characteristics of Life 2
Form Process

Structure

Characteristics of life 3

Living systems learn constantly (are adaptive) Living systems are self-organizing Life is systems-thinking Living systems are webbed with feedback (reciprocal modification) Living systems are interconnected Living systems are self-referential Living systems are autopoetic (self regulating)

Laws of Thermodynamics
First Law: Total
energy in the universe is constant. (Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.)

You cant win: You


can only break even.

Second Law: Total


entropy (randomness) in the universe is increasing.

You cant even break


even.

Organisms vs. Machines



Open versus closed Dynamic versus static Fluid versus bounded Adaptive versus rigid Complex versus simple Quantum versus Newtonian

Non-linear versus
linear Organic versus mechanistic Interrelationships versus objects Chaotic pendulum versus clock

Question
How can you hold a hundred tons of water
in the air with no visible means of support?

You build a cloud

Chaos Theory 1
A name given to recent wide-ranging attempts to uncover
the statistical regularity hidden in processes that otherwise appear random, such as turbulence in fluids, weather patterns, predator-prey cycles, the spread of disease, and even the onset of war. Systems described as "chaotic" are extremely susceptible to changes in initial conditions. As a result, small uncertainties in measurement are magnified over time, making chaotic systems predictable in principle but unpredictable in practice. The butterfly effect

Chaos Theory 2
Chaos refers to an apparent lack of order in
a system that nevertheless obeys particular laws or rules Systems - no matter how complex - rely upon an underlying order, and that very simple or small systems and events can cause very complex behaviors or events

Chaos & Complexity


Human organizations operate from several
core beliefs: The universe is living, creative, and continually
experimenting. Lifes natural tendency is to organize. Life is self-organizing. Life is always an act of creating an identity. People are intelligent, creative, adaptive, self-organizing, and meaning-seeking. Organizations are living systems, with these same attributes.

Systems & Chaos Theory


Emphasise the interconnectedness of
everything Connectedness generates order from disorder

Quantum Universe 1.
Quantum theory at its essence says that our make-up is of a
more connected nature. There are fields of energy flooding the entire universe. These fields, as Wheatley says, are responsible for "actionat-a-distance." Scientists now believe that these fields of energy contain all the information that has ever existed, exists now, or will ever exist in the future. This data is available and influences our lives daily. We are virtually "always online" to God, nature, and the universe.

Quantum Universe 2
At the sub-atomic level of the universe, and, therefore, at
the very core of human make-up, the physical nature of the universe is a dance of energy. We are made up of the same light and energy as the electro-magnetic fields that permeate space and all of creation. Therefore, it stands to reason that, as a part of this celestial dance, we can have access to nature's wealth of information, and we can be influenced by it. If we can be influenced by this vast database of energy and knowledge, can we tap into this cosmic database and perhaps even influence it as well?

The Vision of Leadership


What does nature, the
cosmos and the untapped capabilities of people mean to organizational vision? We must include some of these doctrines:
Equilibrium is death to the
quantum organization. Think about it: if human interaction and dialogue are critical fuel to the new organization, a little creative chaos will continue to drive human creativity.

Doctrines 1
The whole really is greater than the sum of the
parts. Human dialogue is critical to creativity. When two ideas come together that never met before, they lead to or create a new third idea. As we are all connected to the "cosmic database," it stands to reason that we must organize in a fashion that allows us to tap into this vast array of data.

Doctrines 2
Complex systems are best managed from the
bottom up. Today's top-down command and control management styles are complicated, inefficient, and problematic. We must manage to recognize the tremendous individual human potential in the workplace. There must be a place at the corporate table for all employees, regardless of physical characteristics or role or position in the corporate hierarchy.

The Vision
Our leadership mission is to create a setting
in which human beings can flourish and are valued and recognized as the key to success. We will view employees as holistic versatile partners in the creation of enterprise.

Characteristics of Successful Organisations



Self-organizing or self-renewing Adaptive Flexible to internal and external change Feedback loops
reflection, self-awareness, information

Globally stable with local fluctuations Open system Self-referential

Learning Organisations

Respond to environmental changes Tolerate stress Compete effectively Exploit new niches Take risks Develop symbiotic relationships Evolve or perish?

Organisational Change
When system is far from equilibrium,
creative individual can have a huge impact amplification of feedback loop presence of lone fluctuation gets amplified

Organisations = Self Organising Systems 1



Portfolio of skills--not portfolio of business units Many levels of autonomy Need strong competency, identity, and vision Strong frame of reference (Self-referent) Capacity for spontaneously emerging structures that best fit present need Strong relationship to environment - as matures, more efficient, more adaptive

Organisations = Self Organising Systems 2


Co-evolution with environment: establishes basic
structure facilitates insulation that protects system from constant, reactive changes Chaos forces organization to seek new points of view Organizations and their environments are evolving simultaneously toward better fitness for each other. Flexible response to changes

Transformational Leadership

Organizational beliefs (genetic code) Feedback loop: reciprocal modification Guiding principles, shared vision Straddle both continuity and discontinuity Adaptable Aware of environment Reflective Self-transcendent Adhocracy

Transformational Leadership 2
Entreprenurial Visionary Build sustainable niche in emergent
economic / political systems The Leaders task is to communicate shared
values and guiding principles, keep them in the forefront, and allow individuals in the system random, chaotic-looking meanderings. (Wheatley, p. 133)

Conclusion - Interconnectedness
...Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself

F. Capra, The Web of Life, 1996.

You might also like